Annular seam between two container body halves

ABSTRACT

This relates to an annular seam between two tubular body portions. The seam is particularly adapted for joining open ends of two cup members to form a container. The seam incorporates a hem on one of the members with the hem facilitating the application of the adhesive required to bond the cup members together while at the same time permitting the same adhesive to engage raw edges of the cup members in sealing relation.

This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in aseam or connection between two container body halves wherein each halfincludes a generally closed end portion and an open end portion andwherein the open end portions of the two container halves are joinedtogether.

It has been proposed to form cans and like containers in the form of apair of joined together cups. The cups may be formed from sheet materialby simple drawing operations which may include wall ironing. The netresult is that each cup has a cylindrical body portion terminating in anopen end, and it is necessary to join these open ends by an annular seamwhich will not only withstand any internal pressure which may existwithin the filled can and distortion pressures resulting from droppingor like shock, but also may be of a construction wherein the raw ends oredges of the open ends of the cup-shaped bodies may be sealed againstboth the packaged product and external elements.

It has been proposed merely to offset one end portion of one of thecup-shaped body members and then to telescope the end portions withthere being a thin layer of adhesive between the telescoped end portionsbonding the container halves together in sealed relation. Thisconstruction, of course, provides a free or raw edge of one containercup internally of the container and a like raw edge externally of thecup of the container which must be suitably sealed by a suitable coatingmaterial.

In accordance with this invention it is proposed to provide an annularseam between two open ended container bodies wherein the adhesive whichserves to bond together the container body portions also serves to sealthe raw edges of the container body portions.

Most specifically, it is proposed radially to offset an end portion ofone container cup a distance twice the wall thickness of the containercup and then to provide a reversely folded hem which is on that side ofthe radially displaced part opposite to the direction of displacementwherein the hem may receive in telescoped sliding relation a cylindricalend portion of the other cup member. The net result is that the freeedge of the open end portion of each of the cup-shaped members is on thesame side of the container body and faces in the same axial direction.In this manner a single annular application of adhesive may be used forthe multiple purpose of bonding together the cup-shaped members and tocover the free ends or edges of both cup-shaped members in sealedrelation.

It is preferred that the radial displacement of the end portion of a cupmember be inwardly directed and that the hem be outwardly folded so thatthe adhesive is generally open to the exterior of the container or canbody. The interfit between the hem and the cylindrical open end portionof the other cup member thus generally excludes the contents of thecontainer from the seam. Further, a bight part which joins the hem to anadjacent part of the offset container half free end portion forms, inconjunction with the inner surface of the other cup member, a cavitywhich is ready to receive an annular ring of coating material to assurea complete sealing of the seam.

It is to be understood that the cup members will normally be formed of acoated metal and it is wholly undesirable to effect a cracking or otherrupture of the coating material in the forming of the offset part andhem. However, by first effecting the offsetting of the end part radiallyinwardly, the hem may be formed by radially outwardly folding theterminal part of the offset part without danger of cracking the coating.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by referenceto the following detailed description, the appended claims, and theseveral views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through two cup-shaped membersdefining two halves of a container, portions of the cup-shaped membersbeing broken away and the cup-shaped members being in alignment readyfor telescoping engagement.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the seam portion of the containerwith parts of the container halves broken away, and shows the cup shapedmembers being joined together by an annular seam formed in accordancewith the invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken through the seam,and shows the specific details thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there isillustrated in FIG. 1 the components of a container or can. Inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the can isformed of two cup-shaped members 10 and 12 which may be formed fromsheet material by a conventional drawing or drawing and wall ironingmethod. The mode of making the cup-shaped members 10 and 12 in no wayforms a part of this invention.

The cup member 10 includes a generally cylindrical body portion 14 whichis closed at its lower end by an integral end 16 which forms the bottomof the resultant container and which may be of a shape to includeprojecting buttons or feet 18 to provide for a stabilized base. The cupmember 12 also includes a cylindrical body 20 which terminates at itsupper end in an integral end 22. The end 22 normally will be providedwith a combined filling and dispensing opening which will be equippedwith a suitable closure, all not shown in that they in no way form apart of the invention.

The cup members 10 and 12, when formed of metal, will be preferablyformed of either aluminum of steel and will be provided with a very thinplastic material protective coating on both the inner and outer surfacesthereof. Because of the thinness of this coating, it will not beillustrated here.

In accordance with this invention, an annular seam, generally identifiedby the numeral 24, is formed between the cup members 10 and 12 sealingtogether the open ends thereof. In order to form the annular seam 24, nomodification of the cylindrical body 14 of the cup member 10 isrequired. On the other hand, as is best shown in FIG. 3, the open endportion of the cup member 12 is modified so as to be telescopablerelative to the open end of the body 14. The body 20 is of the same sizeas the body 14 and, therefore, the open end of the cup member 12 willinclude a generally cylindrical part 26 which is axially displaced fromthe extreme free end of the body 20. Adjacent the cylindrical part 26 isa generally frustoconical transition part 28 which terminates in agenerally cylindrical sleeve part 30. The sleeve part 30 is radiallydisplaced from the cylindrical part 26 a distance on the order of twicethe wall thickness of the bodies 14 and 20.

The extreme end part of the body 20 is reversely folded to define a hem32 which is joined to the sleeve part 30 by a bight 34. It is to benoted that the hem 32 is on the side of the sleeve part 30 opposite tothe direction of offsetting of the sleeve part 30.

It will be seen that the relative dimensions of the hem 32 and thebodies 14 and 20 are such that the hem 32 may be telescoped relative tothe body 14 in sliding engagement, while the body 14 is axially andradially aligned with the body 20.

The cylindrical part 26, the transition part 28, the sleeve part 30 andthe hem 32 all combine to define an annular socket or chamber 36. Anannular band of a suitable adhesive 38 is placed in this socket with theadhesive band slightly overflowing, as is best shown in FIG. 1.

It will be readily apparent from FIG. 3 that the hem 32 terminates in afree or raw edge 40 which faces in the same direction and is on the sameradial side of the container as a free or raw edge 42 of the body 14.Further, the adhesive 38, when initially applied, engages the raw edge40 of the hem in sealing relation. Then, when the bodies 14 and 20 aretelescoped relative to one another, the raw edge 42 engages the adhesive38 and serves to strike off a portion thereof and displace the struckoff portion to assure that the adhesive 39 will engage the raw edge 42in sealed relation.

It is to be understood that the adhesive 38 will bond together the cupmembers 10 and 12 to the extent required to withstand internal pressureseven when the container or can is packaged under pressurized conditions,and the product may include carbonated beverages wherein high internalpressures are required. At the same time, the raw edges 40 and 42 arecompletely sealed with respect to the product and external atmosphere.

If desired, a further, but much smaller, annular band of adhesive 44 maybe placed between the bight 34 and the body 14 within the annular cavitydefined therebetween. While the material has been indicated here asbeing an adhesive, it is to be understood that the adhesive 44 could bemerely a suitable conventional coating material.

It is to be understood that the sleeve part 30 is preferably radiallyoffset into the interior of the container. This makes the raw edges 40and 42 located exteriorly of the container so as to minimize the sealingrequirements. Further, the hem 32 may be more readily folded withoutcracking of the coating on the cup members 10 and 12. On the other hand,it is within the scope of this invention to reverse the radial positionsof the two cup members so that the hem 32 is exterior of the can,although from a commercially feasible standpoint this is not theequivalent of the illustrated embodiment of the invention.

Although only a preferred embodiment of the invention has beenspecifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understoodthat minor variations may be made in the constructional details of theseam without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. An annular seam between two thin wall container halves, saidseam comprising a first container half open end portion of a generallycylindrical configuration and terminating in a free edge, a secondcontainer half open end portion; said second container half open endportion including an axially displaced generally cylindrical part of thesame size as said first container half open end portion; a generallyfrustoconical transition part joining a radially displaced generallycylindrical sleeve part to said axially displaced generally cylindricalpart, said sleeve part being radially offset from said first containerhalf open end portion, and a reversely turned hem carried by said sleevepart and on the side of said sleeve part facing away from the directionof radial displacement of said sleeve part, said hem terminating in afree edge, said axially displaced generally cylindrical part, saidtransition part, said sleeve part and said hem combining to define anannular chamber; an adhesive in said annular chamber in engagement withsaid hem free edge in sealing relation, said first container half openend portion being telescoped relative to a part of said second containerhalf open end portion in sliding engagement with said hem and with saidfree end thereof aligned with said second container half generallycylindrical part and in axially opposed relation to said transitionpart, and a portion of said adhesive filling the space between saidfirst container half free end and said transition part and in engagementwith said first container half free end in sealing relation.
 2. A seamaccording to claim 1, wherein said hem is joined to said sleeve part bya bight, said bight in combination with an adjacent part of said firstcontainer half defining an annular cavity, and a band of sealingmaterial in said annular cavity.
 3. A seam according to claim 1 whereinthe radial displacement of said sleeve part is inwardly, and said firstcontainer half open end portion is disposed radially outwardly of saidhem with said adhesive being disposed at the exterior of said seam.
 4. Aseam according to claim 3 wherein said hem is joined to said sleeve partby a bight, said bight in combination with an adjacent part of saidfirst container half defining an annular cavity, and a band of sealingmaterial in said annular cavity.
 5. A seam according to claim 1 whereinthe radial offset of said sleeve part from said first container halfopen end portion is on the order of twice the wall thickness of saidcontainer halves.